Australia’s Zac Stubblety-Cook has won the gold medal in the men’s 200-metres breaststroke at the Tokyo Olympics.
The 22-year-old triumphed in Thursday’s final to deliver Australia a seventh gold medal of the Tokyo Games.
Making his Olympic debut, the New South Welshman entered the medal race as favourite – he was fastest qualifier and also held the world’s quickest time in the event this year.
Stubblety-Cook turned in fourth spot at the halfway stage and was third with 50 metres to swim.
The Australian then produced a stunning last lap to win in two minutes 06.38 seconds from Arno Kamminga (2:07.01) of the Netherlands and Finland’s Matti Mattson (2:07.13).
“I’m lost for words,” Stubblety-Cook told the Seven Network.
Stubblety-Cook becomes an Olympic gold medallist three years after being a heat swimmer at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
The self-described perfectionist has been travelling an upward curve ever since, winning his first international medal – 200m breaststroke silver – at the Pan Pacs the following year.
At the 2019 world titles, Stubblety-Cook finished fourth in his pet event and at Australia’s selection trials in June for the Tokyo Games, he logged the fastest time of the year, a Commonwealth record 2:06.28.
AAP
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